Prove It Works

Verify every task output by checking the real thing directly. Proxies, self-reports, and "it compiles" are not evidence.

Why: Unverified work has unknown correctness. Indirect verification (file mtimes, output freshness, agent self-reports, cached screenshots) feels cheaper than direct observation. Acting on a wrong inference costs far more than checking the source.

Check the real thing, not a proxy:

• Check process liveness directly, not indirectly through derived state
• Read the actual value, not a cached or derived representation
• When verification fails, suspect the observation method before suspecting the system

Firmware: a host test or simulator pass is a proxy for the board. When the change touches hardware behavior, prove it on target (flash, drive it over serial, read the register, capture the bus), or report the result as inconclusive.

Script the check when you can

The strongest proof is a deterministic script that re-runs the same comparison, not a one-time eyeball. Write the script, run it, and keep its output as an artifact a reviewer can re-run instead of trusting your word.

Record the command, the output that proves it, and where any log or capture was saved. The ns-verify skill writes this to the unit's evidence.md. Commit the script only for large or complex work where the trail has to be auditable later, like a big port or migration.